In the field of electronics generally, it is customary to test devices as a part of the manufacturing processes. Such testing is used to ensure that defective products are not sold to customers.
One type of device that requires extensive testing is a set-top box (STB). STBs are devices that allow televisions to display content which the television is not configured to display directly. STBs may provide basic decoding or more advanced features including, for example, the ability to record content. These STBs are typically controlled using an infra red remote control.
A typical test procedure for a set-top box is therefore for a test person to perform a prescribed list of tests, each test involving the sending of commands to the STB (typically either using infra red remote control commands or serial interface commands) and visually comparing what the output on the TV (text, video, and audio) is compared to what was expected.
Automated systems are known for performing these types of tests generally in which a test script is written on an electronic testing system to implement the test procedure. This testing system sends signals to the remote control input or the serial interface input of the STB; the video and audio response is captured and compared against expected results. Video capture also allows for Optical Character Recognition (OCR) processing and therefore text on the screen may also be included in the test. Since these tests are fully automated, the tests can be left running unattended for long periods of time.
Whilst these test systems improve productivity by virtue of the automation of the test, failures can be time consuming to analyse. The present application is directed at improving this subsequent analysis of the failure.